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Joe Biden announces 2020 presidential bid, expected to visit Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — Former Vice President Joe Biden has announced his presidential bid with an online video. Within the first week, he has two visits planned to Pennsylvania, including one here in Pittsburgh.

Biden joins a field of more than 20 Democrats running. Recent polling had him as the leader among them, even before a formal announcement.

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"My intention from the beginning was, if I were to run, (I) would be the last person to announce," Biden said last week. "We’ll find out whether I can win in a primary."

Biden's appearance is set to take place at the Teamsters Local 249 building in Lawrenceville.

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Biden's itinerary shows just how important winning the Keystone State will be to his strategy.

"I think a lot of people, rightly, see Pennsylvania as a really important state for 2020," Meri Long, a political science teacher at the University of Pittsburgh, said.

Long said the state's swing from blue during Obama's presidency to red when President Trump was elected emphasizes that point.

"In 2016, over 6 million votes were cast in Pennsylvania and the winner was decided by basically about 44,000 votes," she said.

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